Secure loose nuclear materials from terrorists: 
Obama and Biden will secure all loose nuclear materials in the world within four years,
and will negotiate a verifiable global ban on the production of new nuclear weapons
material to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.

Barack Obama will pursue tough, direct diplomacy without preconditions to end the threat
from Iran:
Obama and Biden will present the Iranian regime with a clear choice. If Iran abandons its
nuclear program and support for terrorism, they would offer incentives like membership in
the World Trade Organization. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, Obama and Biden
will step up our economic pressure and political isolation.

Renew American diplomacy:
Obama and Biden will renew American diplomacy to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
They will rebuild our alliances. And they would be willing to meet with all nations,
friend and foe, to advance American interests.

The Obama-Biden Plan

Iran

The Problem: Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror
across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. But Obama and
Biden believe that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting this
threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush
administration's warnings of war, just like he stood up to the war in Iraq. 
Opposed Bush-Cheney Saber Rattling: Obama and Biden opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment,
which says we should use our military presence in Iraq to counter the threat from Iran.
Obama and Biden believe that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any
justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack Iran. Obama also introduced a
resolution in the Senate declaring that no act of Congress – including Kyl-Lieberman –
gives the Bush administration authorization to attack Iran. 

Diplomacy: Obama supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without
preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling
behavior. Obama and Biden would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its
nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in
the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic
relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic
pressure and political isolation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran
is our best way to make progress. 

Renewing American Diplomacy

The Problem: The United States is trapped by the Bush-Cheney approach to diplomacy that
refuses to talk to leaders we don't like. Not talking doesn't make us look tough – it
makes us look arrogant, it denies us opportunities to make progress, and it makes it
harder for America to rally international support for our leadership. On challenges
ranging from terrorism to disease, nuclear weapons to climate change, we cannot make
progress unless we can draw on strong international support. 

Talk to our Foes and Friends: Obama and Biden are willing to meet with the leaders of all
nations, friend and foe.They will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal
that America is ready to come to the table, and that he is willing to lead. And if
America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind
American leadership to deal with challenges like terrorism, and Iran and North Korea's
nuclear programs. 

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Obama and Biden will make progress on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict a key diplomatic priority. They will make a sustained push –
working with Israelis and Palestinians – to achieve the goal of two states, a Jewish state
in Israel and a Palestinian state, living side by side in peace and security. 

Expand our Diplomatic Presence: To make diplomacy a priority, Obama will stop shuttering
consulates and start opening them in the tough and hopeless corners of the world –
particularly in Africa. They will expand our foreign service, and develop the capacity of
our civilian aid workers to work alongside the military. 

Fight Global Poverty: Obama and Biden will embrace the Millennium Development Goal of
cutting extreme poverty around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our
foreign assistance to $50 billion to achieve that goal. They will help the world's
weakest states to build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop
markets, and generate wealth. 
Strengthen NATO: Obama and Biden will rally NATO members to contribute troops to
collective security operations, urging them to invest more in reconstruction and
stabilization operations, streamlining the decision-making processes, and giving NATO
commanders in the field more flexibility. 

Seek New Partnerships in Asia: Obama and Biden will forge a more effective framework in
Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements,
such as the six-party talks on North Korea. They will maintain strong ties with allies
like Japan, South Korea and Australia; work to build an infrastructure with countries in
East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity; and work to ensure that China plays
by international rules. 

Nuclear Weapons

A Record of Results: The gravest danger to the American people is the threat of a
terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon and the spread of nuclear weapons to dangerous
regimes. Obama has taken bipartisan action to secure nuclear weapons and materials: 
He joined Senator Dick Lugar in passing a law to help the United States and our allies
detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world. 
He joined Senator Chuck Hagel to introduce a bill that seeks to prevent nuclear
terrorism, reduce global nuclear arsenals, and stop the spread of nuclear weapons. 
And while others have insisted that we should threaten to drop nuclear bombs on terrorist
training camps, Obama believes that we must talk openly about nuclear weapons – because
the best way to keep America safe is not to threaten terrorists with nuclear weapons,
it's to keep nuclear weapons away from terrorists. 

Secure Loose Nuclear Materials from Terrorists: Obama and Biden will secure all loose
nuclear materials in the world within four years. While we work to secure existing
stockpiles of nuclear material, Obama and Biden will negotiate a verifiable global ban on
the production of new nuclear weapons material. This will deny terrorists the ability to
steal or buy loose nuclear materials. 

Strengthen the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty: Obama and Biden will crack down on
nuclear proliferation by strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty so that
countries like North Korea and Iran that break the rules will automatically face strong
international sanctions. 

Toward a Nuclear Free World: Obama and Biden will set a goal of a world without nuclear
weapons, and pursue it. Obama and Biden will always maintain a strong deterrent as long
as nuclear weapons exist. Butthey will take several steps down the long road toward
eliminating nuclear weapons. They will stop the development of new nuclear weapons; work
with Russia to take U.S. and Russian ballistic missiles off hair trigger alert; seek
dramatic reductions in U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons and material; and
set a goal to expand the U.S.-Russian ban on intermediate- range missiles so that the
agreement is global. 

Bipartisanship and Openness

The Problem: Under the Bush administration, foreign policy has been used as a political
wedge issue to divide us – not as a cause to bring America together. And it is no
coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in history has pursued
policies that have been disastrous for the American people. Obama and Biden strongly
believe that our foreign policy is stronger when Americans are united, and the government
is open and candid with the American people. 

A Record of Bringing People Together: In the Senate, Obama has worked with Republicans
and Democrats to advance important policy initiatives on securing weapons of mass
destruction and conventional weapons, increasing funding for nonproliferation, and
countering instability in Congo. 

Consultative Group: Obama and Biden will convene a bipartisan Consultative Group of
leading members of Congress to foster better executive-legislative relations and
bipartisan unity on foreign policy. This group will be comprised of the congressional
leadership of both political parties, and the chair and ranking members of the Armed
Services, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Appropriations Committees. This group will
meet with the president once a month to review foreign policy priorities, and will be
consulted in advance of military action. 

Getting Politics out of Intelligence: Obama would insulate the Director of National
Intelligence from political pressure by giving the DNI a fixed term, like the Chairman of
the Federal Reserve. Obama and Biden will seek consistency and integrity at the top of our
intelligence community – not just a political ally. 

Change the Culture of Secrecy: Obama will reverse President Bush's policy of secrecy. He
will institute a National Declassification Center to make declassification secure but
routine, efficient, and cost-effective. 

Engaging the American People on Foreign Policy: Obama and Biden will bring foreign policy
decisions directly to the people by requiring his national security officials to have
periodic national broadband town hall meetings to discuss foreign policy. They will
personally deliver occasional fireside chats via webcast. 
On Israel

Ensure a Strong U.S.-Israel Partnership: Barack Obama and Joe Biden strongly support the
U.S.-Israel relationship, believe that our first and incontrovertible commitment in the
Middle East must be to the security of Israel, America's strongest ally in the Middle
East. They support this closeness, stating that that the United States would never
distance itself from Israel. 
Support Israel's Right to Self Defense: During the July 2006 Lebanon war, Barack Obama
stood up strongly for Israel's right to defend itself from Hezbollah raids and rocket
attacks, cosponsoring a Senate resolution against Iran and Syria's involvement in the
war, and insisting that Israel should not be pressured into a ceasefire that did not deal
with the threat of Hezbollah missiles. He and Joe Biden believe strongly in Israel's right
to protect its citizens. 

Support Foreign Assistance to Israel: Barack Obama and Joe Biden have consistently
supported foreign assistance to Israel. They defend and support the annual foreign aid
package that involves both military and economic assistance to Israel and have advocated
increased foreign aid budgets to ensure that these funding priorities are met. They have
called for continuing U.S. cooperation with Israel in the development of missile defense
systems. 

Meeting the Challenge of a Resurgent Russia

The Problem: Russia's invasion of Georgia in August 2008 has created a serious new
security challenge for the United States and our partners in Europe. In contrast to the
Bush Administration's erratic policy of embracing Vladimir Putin but neglecting
U.S.-Russian relations, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will address the challenge posed by an
increasingly autocratic and bellicose Russia by pursuing a new, comprehensive strategy
that advances American national interests without compromising our enduring principles.

A Comprehensive Strategy: Russia today is not the Soviet Union, and we are not returning
to the Cold War. Retrofitting outdated 20th century thinking to address this new 21st
century challenge will not advance American national interests. Instead, Obama and Biden
will address the new challenges Russia poses by pursuing an integrated and vigorous
strategy that encompasses the entire region. The core components of this strategy
include: 

Supporting democratic partners and upholding principles of sovereignty throughout Europe
and Eurasia while working proactively to gauge effectively the intentions of actors in
the region, and address tensions between countries before they escalate into military
confrontations; 
Strengthening the Transatlantic alliance, so that we deal with Russia with one, unified
voice; 
Helping to decrease the dependence of our allies and partners in the region on Russian
energy; 
Engaging directly with the Russian government on issues of mutual interest, such as
countering nuclear proliferation, reducing our nuclear arsenals, expanding trade and
investment opportunities, and fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban; and also reaching out
directly to the Russian people to promote our common values; and, 
Keeping the door open to fuller integration into the global system for all states in the
region, including Russia, that demonstrates a commitment to act as responsible,
law-abiding members of the international community. 

 
On Africa

Obama's Record: As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama has
fought to focus America's attention on the challenges facing Africa – stopping the
genocide in Darfur, passing legislation to promote stability in the Congo and to bring a
war criminal to justice in Liberia, mobilizing international pressure for a just
government in Zimbabwe, fighting corruption in Kenya, demanding honesty on HIV/AIDS in
South Africa, developing a coherent strategy for stabilizing Somalia, and travelling
across the continent raising awareness for these critical issues. He has also increased
America's focus on the long term challenges of education, poverty reduction, disease,
strengthening democratic institutions and spurring sustainable economic development in
Africa. 
Stop the Genocide in Darfur: As president, Obama will take immediate steps to end the
genocide in Darfur by increasing pressure on the Sudanese and pressure the government to
halt the killing and stop impeding the deployment of a robust international force. He and
Joe Biden will hold the government in Khartoum accountable for abiding by its commitments
under the Comprehensive Peace Accord that ended the 30 year conflict between the north
and south. Obama worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) to pass the Darfur Peace and
Accountability Act in 2006. 
Fight Poverty: Obama and Joe Biden will double our annual investment in foreign
assistance from $25 billion in 2008 to $50 billion by the end of his first term and make
the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015,
America's goals. They will fully fund debt cancellation for Heavily Indebted Poor
Countries in order to provide sustainable debt relief and invest at least $50 billion by
2013 for the global fight against HIV/AIDS, including our fair share of the Global Fund.

Expand Prosperity: Obama and Biden will expand prosperity by establishing an Add Value to
Agriculture Initiative, creating a fund that will extend seed capital and technical
assistance to small and medium enterprises, and reforming the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund. They will launch the Global Energy and Environment
Initiative to ensure African countries have access to low carbon energy technology and
can profitably participate in the new global carbon market so as to ensure solid economic
development even while the world dramatically reduces its greenhouse gas emissions. They
will also strengthen the African Growth and Opportunity Act to ensure that African
producers can access the U.S. market and will encourage more American companies to invest
on the continent. 
On Latin America & the Caribbean
The Problem: George Bush’s policy in the Americas has been negligent toward our friends,
ineffective with our adversaries, disinterested in the challenges that matter in people’s
lives, and incapable of advancing our interests in the region. As the Americas have
changed, we have sat on the sideline, offering no compelling vision and creating a vacuum
for demagogues to advance an anti-American agenda. 
Start a New Chapter of Engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean: Obama and Biden
will rebuild diplomatic links throughout the hemisphere through aggressive, principled,
and sustained diplomacy in the Americas from Day One. He will bolster U.S. interests in
the region by pursuing policies that advance democracy, opportunity, and security and
will treat our hemispheric partners and neighbors with dignity and respect. 
Promote Democracy in Cuba and Throughout the Hemisphere: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will
support democracy that is strong and sustainable in the day to day lives of the people of
the Americas. In the case of Cuba, they will empower our best ambassadors of freedom by
allowing unlimited Cuban-American family travel and remittances to the island. Using
aggressive and principled bilateral diplomacy he will also send an important message: if
a post-Fidel government takes significant steps toward democracy, beginning with freeing
all political prisoners, the U.S. is prepared to take steps to normalize relations and
ease the embargo that has governed relations between our countries for the last five
decades. Throughout the hemisphere, Obama and Biden will increase support for the
building blocks of durable democracies—strong legislatures, independent judiciaries, free
press, vibrant civil society, honest police forces, religious freedom, and the rule of
law. 
Work Towards Energy Security: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will bring together the
countries of the region in a new Energy Partnership for the Americas to forge a path
toward sustainable growth and clean energy. They will call on the American people to join
this effort through an Energy Corps of engineers and scientists who will go to the region
and beyond to help develop clean energy solutions. 
Advance Opportunity from the Bottom-up: Obama and Biden will substantially increase our
aid to the Americas and embrace the Millennium Development Goal of cutting extreme
poverty around the world in half by 2015, and they will double our foreign assistance to
$50 billion to achieve that goal. 
Trade Policy That Works for All People in All Countries: Obama and Biden believe that
trade with foreign nations should strengthen the American economy and create more
American jobs. They will stand firm against agreements that undermine our economic
security and will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards
around the world. 
Advance Security Across the Region: Obama and Biden believe that we need to target all
sources of insecurity through a new hemispheric security initiative. This initiative will
foster cooperation within the region to combat gangs, trafficking and violent criminal
activity. It will strive to find the best practices that work across the hemisphere, and
to tailor approaches to fit each country.